1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to harvesting machines. More particularly, this invention relates to fruit harvesting machines including a man supporting bucket connected to a tiltable boom which allows a person situated in the bucket to pick fruit from the fruit bearing trees.
2. Description of the Background Art
Presently, there exist many types of fruit harvesting machines. Typical fruit machines include a man supporting basket operatively connected to the end of an articulated boom powered by a transport vehicle. During use, the person/picker situated in the basket controls the movement of the boom so as to position himself adjacent to the tree whose fruit is to be picked. U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,973,112, 3,878,957, 3,337,000, 3,182,827, 2,450,152, 3,329,290, 3,250,343, 3,866,713 and 3,285,365 illustrates prior art harvesting machines. Several of these patents disclose dual boom arrangements allowing fruit to be picked from adjacent rows of trees as the fruit harvesting machine is transported therebetween. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,285,365 discloses man supporting baskets connected to respective booms emanating from a common, vertically reciprocatable carriage such that the baskets are moved upwardly or downwardly in unison.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,452,528 and 3,311,192 disclose more elaborate fruit harvesting machines in which the boom is operatively connected to swiveling mechanisms allowing the boom and correspondingly, the man supporting basket, to move circuitously around at least a portion of the fruit tree being picked.
With regard to oranges and similar fruits, modern day horticulture suggests that a greater yield per acre can be achieved by planting the trees closer together in a row instead of spaced apart such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,713. The adjacent positioning of the trees in a row allows the row of trees to be hedged along the side and along the top, much in the same manner as trimming a row of ornamental ligustrum hedges. Oftentimes, the hedged row of trees are trimmed from the bottom at a slight inward angle and from the top at a slight downward angle as opposed to perfectly vertical sides and horizontal top.
The proliferation of hedged row fruit trees has rendered many of the prior art fruit harvesting machines obsolete or excessively complicated and expensive.
Therefore, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus which overcomes the aforementioned inadequacies of the prior art devices and provides an improvement which is a significant contribution to the advancement of the fruit harvesting art.
Another object of this invention is to provide a fruit harvesting machine particularly designed for harvesting a hedged row of fruit trees.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine which allows harvesting of adjacent hedged rows of fruit trees as the harvesting machine is transported therebetween.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine including a pair of vertical booms positioned on opposing sides of a tractor to which are connected a plurality of vertically reciprocatable man supporting baskets allowing a person situated in each of the baskets to pick adjacent sides of adjacent hedged rows of fruit trees.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine including vertical basket supporting booms which may be tilted outwardly from a bottom pivot point connected to the frame of the basket so as to be parallel and adjacent to the sides of the hedged row of fruit trees.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine including vertical basket supporting booms which may be adjusted outwardly at their bottom pivot point so as to increase or decrease the distance between the booms corresponding to the distance between adjacent hedged rows of fruit trees.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine including a pair of basket supporting booms and having a fruit conveying tube having one end conveniently positioned at each basket and its other end positioned over a fruit bin seated on the rear of the tractor.
Another object of this invention is to provide a hedged row harvesting machine which is operable by means of controls positioned in the man supporting baskets.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the intended invention. Many other beneficial results can be obtained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.